Need more motivation to check out your air conditioner and properly insulate it? In New York City, the costs of fuel lost through gaps around air conditioners is sometimes as much as the cost of the building's entire cooling bill.

Modern air conditioning units are quite dependable and long lived, but that doesn't mean you…
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The main culprit in a recent report by the Urban Green Council is the window-mounted, usually self-installed air conditioner. When improperly seated, or lacking insulation around every potential opening, the average air conditioner leaves something akin to a fist-sized hole in your wall, letting both heating and cooling escape.

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The best move, the report suggests, is removing your air conditioner as soon as possible at the end of the hot season. If you're looking to start fresh with your own window-mount installation, Popular Mechanics' guide to proper mounting and insulation is a great place to start.